The Eucharist has been in the news as of late, after a UCF student pocketed a consecrated wafer last month and getting some death threats for his stunt; he's in the process of getting kicked out of the student Senate. Evolution maven PZ Meyers stirred the pot a bit more, blogging about looking to score a wafer in order to desecrate it.
It's always a bit amusing to see secular folks trashing Catholic stuff, like militant gay-rights activists sabotaging services. If you wanted to fight fire with fire, what would you do? There isn't anything a secular person treats as sacred. You can't hang a condom in effigy in retaliation or soak a copy of The Origin of Species in holy water as payback to Meyers; it would be a waste of good water, anyway.
The question that comes to mind for me as a non-Catholic is this; when does the wafer become the Body of Christ? Since you need a priest to properly do a Eucharist (if I understand Catholic doctrine correctly), would it become transubstantiated (if I can verb that) sometime during the service, possibly when he holds it up and declares "The body of Christ"?
For instance, you can buy communion wafers in bulk; if you bought a case of 1000 wafers, do you have a thousand Bodies of Christ? Probably not. For $14.95 plus shipping, Meyers can have a field day and build a mural of the Ascent of Man out of painted wafers, except they haven't been consecrated.
To question the point further, what is the status of the wafers that weren't used in that service? There are most likely going to be some spares; one would think that they're ordinary wafers until getting called into action during the Eucharist.
If a consecrated wafer gets pocketed, like in the UCF case, it is still the Body of Christ in his pocket, or does the host get untransubstanciated once it gets out of its proper role?
Consider this a shout-out to the Catholics in the Peanut Gallery; I don't want to be too flip, for I understand that the Eucharist is the centerpiece of Catholic worship, where the Church interacts with Jesus in a real way that reaches across time and space. If I understood the majesty and mystery of that a bit better, I might think about crossing the Tiber, for it's something that Protestants (especially Evangelicals; some liturgical churches have a high view of Communion) lack.
I know that the folks who are issuing death threats are overreacting; that's a given. However, the hue and cry over a pocketed wafer seems overblown. My first thought is that Jesus is a big boy and can fend for Himself, ask Ananias and Sapphira.
Feel free to give me a second thought.
Catchy title.
Thats an excellent question - can a priest unconesecrate the wafer if it is put in a pocket?
The priest drinks the rest of the open wine, the host is put in a special box (tabernacle) and is there for emergency communion. It is my meager understanding it remains consecrated until it is not substance anymore.
The campus Roman Catholic group has filed against Cook's friend.
http://vivechristusrex2000.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Bene D | July 18, 2008 at 02:13 PM
The question that comes to mind for me as a non-Catholic is this; when does the wafer become the Body of Christ? Since you need a priest to properly do a Eucharist (if I understand Catholic doctrine correctly), would it become transubstantiated (if I can verb that) sometime during the service, possibly when he holds it up and declares "The body of Christ"?
In the Roman Rite - and most others - the host becomes the body of Christ at the time the "Words of Institution" are spoken, to wit, "this is my body" and "this is my blood."
There is an exception in the ancient Syriac Rite known as the Anaphora of Addai and Mari where these words are not spoken, but there is enough verbiage to get the idea across.
For instance, you can buy communion wafers in bulk; if you bought a case of 1000 wafers, do you have a thousand Bodies of Christ? Probably not. For $14.95 plus shipping, Meyers can have a field day and build a mural of the Ascent of Man out of painted wafers, except they haven't been consecrated.
No Catholic that I know about cares a wit about unconsecrated hosts. Buy them and do what you want with them.
There is a universe of difference between unconsecrated hosts - which are wheat wafers - and consecrated hosts - which are the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ and for which Christians have died to protect in times past.
To question the point further, what is the status of the wafers that weren't used in that service? There are most likely going to be some spares; one would think that they're ordinary wafers until getting called into action during the Eucharist.
It depends on what you mean by "not used." Consecrated Hosts that are not consumed in Mass are reserved in the tabernacle. Hosts that aren't consecrated - aren't on the altar when the words of Institution are spoken - are just wheat wafers.
If a consecrated wafer gets pocketed, like in the UCF case, it is still the Body of Christ in his pocket, or does the host get untransubstanciated once it gets out of its proper role?
It is still the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.
For what it's worth, I noticed that ushers in my church stand on either side of the receiving line to make sure that no one pockets the Eurcharist. This is new within the last decade as Satanic interest in the Eucharist has increased - or so I was told. The usher I spoke to told me that he has to ask around 3 people to consume the Eucharist before returning to their seat. These might be non-Catholics who get in line and then don't know what to do.
I know that the folks who are issuing death threats are overreacting; that's a given. However, the hue and cry over a pocketed wafer seems overblown. My first thought is that Jesus is a big boy and can fend for Himself, ask Ananias and Sapphira.
The allegation that there have been "death threats" is probably a nice bit of misdirection on the part of Myers. It takes the focus of those who are engaging in theft, trespass and calculatingly unnecessary offensive behavior against a historic social minority.
I don't doubt that some have reacted to Myers by offering to punch him out, but the idea that Myers has to live in fear of a Catholic assassin is nonsense.
On the other hand, I can't overstate the offensiveness of intentionally "pocketing" the Body of Christ for sacrilege. As I've said, Christians throughout history have died to protect the sacred mysteries from sacrilege. They didn't think that it wasn't their responsibility to protect the mysteries or that they could sit back and let Christ take care of himself, which he will.
In fact, there is a charitable reason for protecting these fools from themselves. Paul in 1 Cor. 11 writes:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread,
24 and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. 12
28 A person should examine himself, 13 and so eat the bread and drink the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment 14 on himself.
30 That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying.
So, yes, Christ can take care of himself, but that doesn't mean we should sit by and let these fools commit physical or spiritual suicide.
Last point, Bene is right; the Eucharist is the body of Christ "under the appearance of bread." Once the appearance ends, the Body ceases to be present.
Posted by: Peter Sean Bradley | July 20, 2008 at 07:42 PM